Sunday, 20 February 2011

Just an old wall . . .

. . . very neglected, and rather disfigured by notices from the Princess Marine Hotel, Kingsway to which it presumably belongs. It was once the west boundary wall of a large private house built in 1902 and later occupied by Hove College which closed in 1980. The house later burnt down while it was undergoing conversion.

The body of the wall is a mixture of brick and flint cobble and it has brick buttresses and half-round brick top edging. The unusual octagonal pier appears to have developed a lean since an earlier photograph and a crack has opened up with the body of the wall.

No. 155 Kingsway behind, the former Nurses' Home, is now completely derelict. It is scheduled for demolition and the site for redevelopment with low-rise flats. Work was supposed to have started last September.

31 comments:

I recognised that beloved wall immediately! I went to Hove College (an independent school for the discerning parent with kids incapable of passing water let alone the Common or not so Common entrance exam).

Happy days. I was there from 1961 to '64. Six extremely moderate "O" Levels but it got me into Hove Grammar and then King's College, London.

Wow - I was there from 1975 to 1977 and then went to London for O levels and A levels and UniversityGod bless Mr. Dixon and Mr & Mrs Lamb and all who took care of that place and our education:)rafirafi@allameh.info

Fantastic !, I have been looking all over the internet for any reference to Hove College, its as though the place never existed and had been wiped off the map, although I never really enjoyed my time there I have a certain amount of nostagia for the old place, even in 1975 it was like a victorian throw-back and had since passed its glory days, Mr Dixon was a decent human being if a little lax on discipline, and of course we had our star pupils. Every sunday I tune into the antique roadshow and see old Graham Lay casting his eye over peoples valuables (Didnt think he would make anything of himself and was a bit of a woss at school ) but not for the first time have been proven wrong !

Good to see some other people that remember Hove College - I attended from 1973 to 1977 and I have great memories of Mr Dixon, Cyril Stacy the science teacher, Frank Lumb for Geography, Miss Royale for Algebra and others. I am still in contact with a few class chums and a couple of times a year we meet for dinner in Brighton to catch up and swap stories. If anyone would like more information please email me at matthewjfh@gmail.com - Up the Hovians !!

I recognised that wall immediately - at Hove College from 1972-78 -"happy days" though we did not know it at the time! Mr Jackson and Mr Dixon, Mr Paxton"my little goonies" Mr Mitchell who was always drunk! Mr Ward, Mr Avery for French , Group Captain Rowe (one of the Few) anyone remember Mr Bagnell for Biology? and Mr Beauclare for Scripture, Mr Lumb er um er um er um!!! and of course Miss Royal (scary!) to become Mrs Lumb - she mellowed after marriage - ok- may be not the best academic education but a unique set of characters who left a BIG impression on us all... Happy Days!

Hello Jez. Yes Beauclair taught Maths. He used to stand at the back of the class playing with the coins in his pocket. If someone asked a question, his standard answer was 'But, OF COURSE!'. I remember he used to get people to write on the board. Perhaps he had an aversion to chalk? Do you think any of them are still alive? I am still in touch with Simpson, Brinklow and Hoff. Recently Matthew (Furline) organized a dinner and I met with Nigel 'the Dewd' Dewdney for the first time since 1977.

Hello Nigel, I used to sit behind you all those years ago and remember BoBo teaching Maths, Avery for French, Stacy for Science, Ward just about everything and JD for just about everything else in the later years when we lived above his office.

Daisy 2 to Daisy 1.Hello Ian, only just seen your reply. Your comments are exactly as I remember it. I heard you now live in New Zealand - is that right? Do you know what 'Potty' Pojta is doing now? I remember you were great friends.

Ian, I have lived in Cambridge for the last 20 years. I still visit Hove regularly and my daughter is now at Sussex Uni. Married with 3 teenagers. I did a PhD in Maths, my original interest inspired by Dickson. I remember he took the trouble to prove that there is no construction for a trisection of an angle after Steve Harkness and I tried to get one by trial and error. Dickson was my favourite teacher. Do you remember that lift to games he gave us in his Morris Traveller? You could not control your laughter as he kept sucking air between his teeth. I still see Will Simpson and Philip Brinklow regularly. You would be very welcome to join us if you are ever back in the UK. To contact me use nigel.upton followed by the at sign followed by uptonblessing.com

Ian, I have lived in Cambridge for the last 20 years. I still visit Hove regularly and my daughter is now at Sussex Uni. Married with 3 teenagers. I did a PhD in Maths, my original interest inspired by Dickson. I remember he took the trouble to prove that there is no construction for a trisection of an angle after Steve Harkness and I tried to get one by trial and error. Dickson was my favourite teacher. Do you remember that lift to games he gave us in his Morris Traveller? You could not control your laughter as he kept sucking air between his teeth. I still see Will Simpson and Philip Brinklow regularly. You would be very welcome to join us if you are ever back in the UK. To contact me use nigel.upton followed by the at sign followed by uptonblessing.com

Ian, I have lived in Cambridge for the last 20 years. I still visit Hove regularly and my daughter is now at Sussex Uni. Married with 3 teenagers. I did a PhD in Maths, my original interest inspired by Dickson. I remember he took the trouble to prove that there is no construction for a trisection of an angle after Steve Harkness and I tried to get one by trial and error. Dickson was my favourite teacher. Do you remember that lift to games he gave us in his Morris Traveller? You could not control your laughter as he kept sucking air between his teeth. I still see Will Simpson and Philip Brinklow regularly. You would be very welcome to join us if you are ever back in the UK. To contact me use nigel.upton followed by the at sign followed by uptonblessing.com

Wondering if this blog works. My email (for Nigel or anybody who reads this and wants to communicate) is jeremy.malies@btopenworld.com - We lost seven boys in WWII. I'm busy honouring all of them with a lot of research followed by visits. Most were RAF.

I was at Hove College from 1975 until it closed in 1980. I still have fond memories of the place. Many years later, while studying Accountancy at night school, I found myself in the same room as Mr. Dixon who had also signed up for the course. He must have been 85+ but still looked good and had his full wavy grey hair.

I'll never forget the French teacher, Mr. Voice who used to throw the wooden board rubber at any pupil who wasn't paying attention. Many a time I got hit on the head!!!

Today, I'm teaching English in Israel but can't get away with things like that. Shame!!!! Happy memories.

I remember you. Also Max Shultz,Alan Bysouth,Marcus Hill,Matthew Montebello,Dave Ecott,Didcott,Alan Gregory,the Veale bros.,Treharne...so many..Happy Days.Remember the stairs from the P.E.room led up to a door into Mrs Lumbs classroom...flung it open & knocked her flying...the fear I felt...

This is Payman...I was at Hove College from 1978-1980, does anyone remember the English teacher we had? a amazing guy who was only around for a year but found a way to find the best in everyone in the class...I remember a few tears when he left.

There was a Mr Mitchell who taught English for a year approx 1977 or possibly '78 so might be who you mean. South African though didn't sound it - had flown with the RAF in WWII. Had a drink problem and was sacked for it. Better teacher drunk than most I've had sober. Would write a sentence on the blackboard and have us identify the types of word - how they were working in the sentence. When he was sacked he became a driver on the Volk's railway.

This is Payman...I was at Hove College from 1978-1980, does anyone remember the English teacher we had? a amazing guy who was only around for a year but found a way to find the best in everyone in the class...I remember a few tears when he left.

This is Payman...I was at Hove College from 1978-1980, does anyone remember the English teacher we had? a amazing guy who was only around for a year but found a way to find the best in everyone in the class...I remember a few tears when he left.

Hi Payman. Yes, that was Mr Wooley, brilliant teacher. I am not certain the name of his replacement maybe Mrs Gravett. Many fond memories of Hove College: Friday afternoon at Wish Park, King Alfred swimming etc. Had the pleasure of meeting Mr Dickson and Mrs Jackson in Hove way back in 1991. Alas most of our teachers are gone now. God Bless them.

I was there from 1959-1965 and apart from Maths lesson with Mr Beauclerk I just wasn't settled and don't look back at schooldays being the best years of my life!! Anyway, it is a pity there aren't schools around today quite like Hove College. Jamie Hodge

I was there from 1953 to 1959. I remember John Dixon and Mr Cameron and his wife who lived in a house at the rear. I also remember the classroom which had to be turned into a gymnasium once a week with the help of the pupils. As we had no playground, we had to walk in a 'crocodile' around the streets for exercise at break-times. Also we used Wish Road park for exercise and a football ground (long gone now) at the top of Dyke Road near what is now the A27. I progressed thereafter to Shoreham Grammar School in Pond Lane (also no longer there!)Philip Talmey

I was there from I think 1953 to 1957. I remember the gym cum classroom, and Saturday morning lessons (with sometimes a quiz I recall). Mrs Kennedy to teach-maths maybe. Blonde hair, probably school boy fantasies :-) Footbal at top of Dyke Rd - ridiculous. Some teacher who would spike a pair of dividers between your fingers!! Was it Mr Panto? And a French teacher with a limp and dodgy eye that we used to wind up by puffing chalk all over his chair before he came into the room. A room I now recall with a VERY large miror at the back.Nigel Hudson, a Sussex man for years but now living on Isles of Scilly

I was at Hove College from 1957 to 1960. I left as the family moved to Gloucester where I had the culture shock of attending a state school. The staff I remember were Dickson and Jackson (Joint Heads), Mrs Kenworthy who slammed me into a door frame giving me a black eye (she left soon afterwards), Mrs Bertie, Mrs Glastonbury, Group Captain Row and Wing Commander Harden. Miss Royale who was the school secretary (did a bit of teaching) and I believe Mr Brown who taught and was French.

Jackson who owned the school I remember, was a fearsome individual who seemed to take a delight in the use of the cane. He did have a steady hand as he usually had a cigarette going when he entered the classroom which would burn down to well over an inch of ash without dropping!

Happy days. Pity the building got burned down. A friend sent me a copy of the local paper which had the pictures all over the front page at the time.

With a post as recent as Jan 2018 it looks like this blog is still active. If there's an administrator who moderates comments I'd like to make a general post saying that we lost seven boys during WWII. I'm doing loads of research and visiting graves. Have even found a boy killed in action who Cameron-Jackson didn't know about. (Mr C-J made a list of six when writing about the war years in the college magazine for early 1946.)